Download ACCORDING TO THE THREE CAPABLE BEINGS

Realizations
to Achieve
INTRO
FOUNDATION LEVEL
Tools to help you gain realizations - www.fpmt.org/education/
IN-DEPTH
DB 11:
DB10:
Trnsfrmng Bodhichitta Problems
6 Perfctns
Preliminary practices Kriya//Yoga/
Anuttara Yoga
BP: *Heart Sutra
*Mahayana Mind Training
*Engaging in the Bodhisattva’s Deeds
*Tenets
* Seventy Topics
*Sublime Continuum of the Mahayana:
First Chapter: The Tathagata Essence
*Ornament of Clear Realizations: Ch. 4
*MDT302: Techniques of Medition (TM) The Medium Scope
applies throughout entire program
MC: * PHL302: FBT II - The Medium Scope
MP: *Grounds & Paths of Secret Mantra
*Two Stages of
Guhyasamaja
Tantra
BP: *Grounds & Paths of Secret Mantra
*The Three Bodies
*Highest yoga tantra
commentary
LEGEND: FPMT INTEGRATED EDUCATION of Study Practice Behavior & Service complemented by: mantras and sutras, retreats with Lama Zopa Rinpoche, service to community & FPMT, and living in pratimoksha/bodhisattva/tantric vows.
Accumulation of Merit & Purification of Negativities through pujas and karma yoga at centers, nine preliminary practices, recitation of
*MDT401/402: Vajrayana Meditation I/II
(optional)
MC: *PHL401/402: Vajrayana Philosophy I/II
(optional)
MP: * Madhyamakavatara
MC: *PHL303: FBT III - Doorway to the Great Scope
*PHL304: FBT IV: The Great Scope
*PHL305/306: Madhyamaka I/II
*MDT303: TM - The Great Scope
*MDT304: TM- Bodhichitta
*MDT305/306: TM-Madhyamaka Meditation
MP: *Abhisamayalamkara
Tibetan Language
(Optional 3 month summer intensive
available prior to start of program)
lam-rim overview
BP: *Mind & Cognition Part 1: Awarenesses & Knowers
Part 2: Minds & Mental Factors
*Tenets
Highest Yoga Tantra:
Generatn/Completn Stage
FBT - Year 2:
*Overview of Tantric Grounds
& Paths
DB12:
DB13: Introduction to Tantra
Wisdm of DB14: Vajrasattva Nyung Nä
Emptinss
Prostrations
Six Perfections: Perfctn 5: Perfctn 6:
1-4
Concntrtn Wisdom
FBT - Year 2:
*Mind of Enlightenment
*Emptiness According to
Madhyamika Prasangika school
DB10:
Genrtng
Bodhichitta
LOSANG RINCHEN ZANGPO TRANSLATOR PROGRAM: 4-year residential intensive in Tibetan language to become a translator and interpreter of the Dharma.
MC: CS001-006 Community Service Practicum
Mind
Trng
(TANTRA)
Emptiness Two Stages: Generation and Completion
lam-rim overview and practice taught by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, includes pujas, rituals, meditation, living by 5 lay precepts, 8 Mahayana precepts, karma yoga
FBT - Year 1:
*Four Noble Truths
*Two Truths
*Buddhist Psychology & Epistemology
applies throughout entire path to enlightenment
DB1: Mind & Its Potential
applies throughout entire path to enlightenment
lam-rim overview
applies throughout entire path to enlightenment
DB9: Samsara & Nirvana
MP: * Abhidharmakosha
MC: *PHL301: Foundations of Buddhist Thought I Introduction to Buddhist Philosophy
*TIB102/102: Tibetan Language (required year 1, optional years 2-3)
*MDT301: Introduction to Buddhist Meditation
daily meditation requirement
rules of ethical conduct
community service required to complete program
MAITRIPA COLLEGE (MC)
1 year lam-rim retreat required to complete program
weekly meditation requirement
daily self-evaluation practice
karma yoga required
MASTERS PROGRAM (MP)
BP: *“Stages of the Path”, Lama Tsongkhapa’s Medium Exposition of the
Stages of the Path (Optional: Tsongkhapa’s Lam-Rim Chenmo)
3 month lam-rim retreat required to complete program
5 lay precepts, student conduct self-evaluation
karma yoga encouraged
BASIC PROGRAM (BP)
LIVING IN THE PATH: A New Wave of Buddhist Education, 2009-2014
daily meditation required
nurture harmonious behavior and communication
karma yoga encouraged
FOUNDATION OF BUDDHIST THOUGHT (FBT)
meditation and short retreats required for each module
100k Vajrasattva/prostrations, 3 Nyung Näs,
2 week lam-rin retreat required to complete program
intro to 5 lay precepts and 8 Mahayana precepts
karma yoga encouraged, Inner Job Description service training (optional)
DB1: Mind & Its Potential
DB2: How to Meditate
DB3: Presenting the Path
DB4: The Spiritual Teacher (Guru Devotion)
DB5: Death
DB7: Rfge DB6: All
& Rebrth
in 3 Jewels Abt Krma
DB8: Estblshng A Daily Practice
DISCOVERING BUDDHISM (DB)
Heart Advice for Death & Dying (short intensive, includes meditation and how to be of service to others at the time of death)
Buddhism In a Nutshell
Kopan Monastery November Course
Meditation 101: Introduction to Meditation
Causes of Smsra: Causes of Smsra: Generating
Delusions
12 Links
Bodhichitta
GREAT
Bodhichitta
lam-rim overview
lam-rim overview, includes meditation, living by 5 lay precepts, 8 Mahayana precepts, karma yoga
applies throughout entire path to enlightenment, meditation
4Noble Suffrngs of Smsra
Truths & Uppr Realms
Death &
Suffrngs of 3
Refuge
Karma
Impermanence Lower Realms in 3 Jewels
Guru
Devotion
Precious Human
Rebirth
MIDDLING
SMALL
Renunciation
FPMT Treasure Map: THE STAGES OF THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT (Lam-rim), ACCORDING TO THE THREE CAPABLE BEINGS
“Foundation of Buddhist Thought,” another two-year course, assumes that you already
have some grounding in the lam-rim. In this program, you will study topics that help you to
understand more deeply the core principles of Buddhism that inform the lam-rim and will
give you greater confidence and appreciation for what Lord Buddha taught about our mind,
the nature of reality, and the path to liberation and enlightenment.
“Heart Advice for Death and Dying,” is a unique intensive short course about preparing for
death and how to benefit yourself and others at the time of death.
Foundation
“Discovering Buddhism” is a two-year course with a more in-depth and experiential
approach to understanding the entire lam-rim. It provides you with teachings, readings, and
discussion; you will also learn how to meditate on the lam-rim and how to do retreats. If you
are a committed practitioner, it is most highly recommended that you make a pilgrimage to
Nepal and attend the annual One Month Lam-Rim Course at Kopan Monastery, offered every
November. This is an intensive overview of the lam-rim in a retreat setting with plenty of
opportunities for meditation, discussion, and debate. It is also a recommendation for those
who wish to have a complete “Discovering Buddhism” experience.
Introductory
Depending on your level of interest and commitment, there are a number of ways you
can learn about the lam-rim. For newcomers, we recommend “Buddhism in a Nutshell,”
which introduces you to the lam-rim and basic Buddhist concepts. “Meditation 101” is also
a beginner’s course wherein you will learn the fundamentals of how to meditate. These
are short courses of five sessions each and a good way to determine if Buddhism is your
preferred spiritual path or if you just want to use some of these tools and understandings to
enhance your life in a more general way.
The lam-rim is the core of FPMT’s educational structure and the treasure map for your
personal enlightenment. Your first goal is to familiarize yourself well with the lam-rim. Once
you have done this, whatever teachings or empowerments you receive, whatever Buddhist
texts you study, you will understand how they apply to your personal path and practice. All
of our programs can be studied at FPMT centers or via homestudy courses through www.
fpmt.org/education.
In-Depth
Our “Basic Program” is a five-year course of study and practice which includes a presentation of
one of Lama Tsongkhapa’s more extensive works on the lam-rim, providing detailed information
about each stage along the path to enlightenment. Commentaries on several other texts further
illuminate the path of the compassionate warrior, the perfection of wisdom sutras, how the mind
works, our buddha-potential, and the stages through which one progresses by relying on the path
of tantra.
In the 11th Century, Lama Atisha brought these teachings from India to Tibet and organized
them into a practical guide for a single individual to navigate their spiritual journey in a
text known as the Lam gyi drön ma or “Light of the Path.” Atisha’s groundbreaking work
was most completely elucidated by the great Tibetan saint Lama Tsongkhapa in the 14th
Century. His detailed commentary on Atisha’s text became known as the “Lam-rim” the
“Stages on the Path to Enlightenment,” which includes teaching and practices related to
both sutra and tantra. The lam-rim tradition of teachings has continued to pass from teacher
to disciple up to this present day in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, founded by
Lama Tsongkhapa.
FPMT’s educational approach is not a linear one. While it is recommended that one attend
introductory or foundation level programs before embarking on more advanced programs, we allow
for the fact that different individuals have different karmic propensities and a range of qualities
which may impact how they wish to approach their study and practice. It is common within FPMT
to engage in tantric practices simultaneous to study and meditation on the sutra aspects of lam-rim,
as they complement one another to bring about quick realizations of the path. In addition, our
tradition emphasizes the importance of finding one’s own spiritual teacher on whom one can rely
for guidance and advice for one’s study and practice.
The FPMT Integrated Approach to Education
FPMT education programs offer an integrated and well-balanced curriculum that incorporates
academic study, meditation practice, service, and the cultivation of ethical behavior. Each of our
programs integrates these components in a different way and to a different extent. For example,
while our foundation level courses require weekly meditation sessions or a few days of retreat and
allow for service as a voluntary option, our Masters Program requires a one-year lam-rim retreat;
and Maitripa College curriculum mandates community service as a graduation requirement.
Language Programs
For those who feel especially drawn to the Tibetan language and want to develop skills to become
an interpreter or translator of Tibetan Buddhist teachings, we encourage you to consider entering
the four-year residential “Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program” based out of Dharamsala,
India, the current residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Our Masters Program and Maitripa
College also have Tibetan language options.
Finally, there is “Maitripa College,” a three-year masters level program with a fourth year option
for tantric studies, which combines the academic and practice intensity of the Masters Program
with a firm grounding in the lam-rim, meditation, Tibetan language, and social service. Maitripa
is an accredited college offering a Masters Degree in Buddhist Studies.
The residential “Masters Program” offers an intensive six years of study and practice, exploring in
detail five key texts by Indian and Tibetan masters that are studied in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries.
As a gateway into the very extensive and profound teachings given by Lord Buddha, the Masters
Program makes students appreciate the import of Lama Tsongkhapa’s Lam-rim as it offers the
framework to relate all this knowledge to practice, allowing study to become a transformative
experience.
In September of 2009, FPMT is launching a new program based on commentary by Lama Zopa
Rinpoche on Lama Atisha’s Light of the Path. It is anticipated that this five-year series of teachings
will become the quintessential lam-rim immersion for FPMT students. All who are interested
in participating in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity are encouraged to attend and may also
participate online.
Context
Over 2500 years ago, Shakyamuni Buddha gained direct insight into the nature of reality and
perfected the qualities of wisdom, compassion and power to help others. During the course
of a 45-year-long teaching career, during which he gave 84,000 different teachings, Lord
Buddha revealed his discoveries about our conditioned existence, how to attain liberation
from it, and how to achieve full enlightenment.
A TREASURE MAP TO YOUR ENLIGHTENMENT THROUGH FPMT
1
From Abbreviated Points of the Graded Paths (Lam-rim dü-dön) by Tsongkhapa. Translated by Alexander
Berzin and reprinted with permission from www.berzinarchives.com.
Endnote:
“FPMT is unbelievably fortunate that we have many qualified teachers who are
not only scholars but are living in practice. If you look, then you can understand
how fortunate we are having the opportunity to study. With our Dharma
knowledge and practice we can give the light of Dharma to others, in their heart.
I think that’s the best service to sentient beings, the best service to the world.”
Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Conclusion
Whether you are a beginner or an advanced practitioner, if you are wondering about the
next steps to take on your spiritual journey and do not have a teacher upon whom you can
rely, look to the lam-rim. There is an abundance of ways to study it at FPMT centers or
through homestudy programs available via the FPMT website: www.fpmt.org/education.
Make strong prayers to the holy ones and always do practices to help you accumulate
merit and purify negativities. This will ensure that the right doors will open for you and
obstacles to your successful practice will be easily overcome.
You understand all Buddha’s teachings with no contradictions.
The scriptural pronouncements, without an exception, dawn (on your
mind) as personal guidelines.
You easily discover the Triumphant One’s intended meanings.
They protect you from the abyss of the great misdeed (of forsaking
the Dharma).
Because of these (benefits), what scrutinizing persons among the
erudite masters of India and Tibet will not have their minds
enraptured by the stages of the path of three spiritual scopes, the
supreme instructions to which many fortunate ones have entrusted
themselves?11
According to Lama Tsongkhapa, you will receive four great benefits from studying the
Lam-rim as taught in Atisha’s Light of the Path:
www.fpmt.org/education/